And never comes there unto them a Reminder as a recent
revelation from the Most Gracious, but they turn away therefrom.
meaning, every time a Scripture comes from heaven to them, most
of the people turn away from it.

As Allah says:

وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it
eagerly. (12:103)

So, they have indeed denied, then the news of what they mocked
at will come to them.

meaning, they denied the truth that came to them, so they will
come to know the news of the consequences of this denial after a
while.

وَسَيَعْلَمْ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَىَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ

And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning
they will be overturned. (26:227)

Then Allah tells those who dared to oppose His Messenger and
disbelieve in His Book, that He is the Subduer, the
Almighty, the
All-Powerful, Who created the earth and
caused every good kind of
crop, fruit and animal
to grow therein.

He spread out the earth and raised the canopy of the heavens,
yet despite that the majority of people do not believe, rather
they deny Him, His Messengers, and His Books, and they go
against His commands doing the things He had prohibited.

Allah tells us what He commanded His servant, son of Imran and
Messenger Musa, peace be upon him, who spoke with Him, to do,
when He called him from the right side of the mountain, and
conversed with him, and chose him, sent him, and commanded him
to go to Fir`awn and his people.

Allah said: "We will strengthen your arm through your brother,
and give you both power, (meaning, proof); so they shall not be
able to harm you, with Our signs, you two as well as those who
follow you will be the victors. (28:35)

... فَاذْهَبَا بِآيَاتِنَا إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّسْتَمِعُونَ
﴿١٥﴾

Go you both with Our signs. Verily, We shall be with you,
listening.

This is like the Ayah,

إِنَّنِى مَعَكُمَآ أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَى

I am with you both, hearing and seeing. (20:46).

Meaning, `I will be with you by My protection, care, support and
help.'

Meaning, `let them go, free them from your captivity,
subjugation and torture, for they are the believing servants of
Allah, devoted to Him, and with you they are in a position of
humiliating torture.'

When Musa said that to him, Fir`awn turned away and ignored him
completely, regarding him with scorn and thinking little of him.

قَالَ
أَلَمْ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيدًا...

Saying: Did we not bring you up among us as a child!

meaning, we brought you up among us, in our home and on our bed,
we nourished you and did favors for you for many years, and
after all that you responded to our kindness in this manner: you
killed one of our men and denied our favors to you.'

And this is the past favor with which you reproach me, -- that
you have enslaved the Children of Israel.

meaning, `whatever favors you did in bringing me up are offset
by the evil you did by enslaving the Children of Israel and
using them to do your hard labor. Is there any comparison
between your favors to one man among them and the evil you have
done to all of them What you have mentioned about me is nothing
compared to what you have done to them.'

He said: "Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and
nature, then guided it aright.'' (20:49-50)

Those among the philosophers and others who claimed that this
was a question about the nature or substance (of Allah) are
mistaken.

Fir`awn did not believe in the Creator in the first place, so he
was in no position to ask about the nature of the Creator; he
denied that the Creator existed at all, as is apparent from the
meaning, even though proof and evidence had been established
against him.

(Musa) said: "The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all
that is between them...''

meaning, the Creator, Sovereign and Controller of all that,
their God Who has no partner or associate. He is the One Who has
created all things. He knows the higher realms and the heavenly
bodies that are in them, both those that are stationary and
those that move and shine brightly. He knows the lower realms
and what is in them; the oceans, continents, mountains, trees,
animals, plants and fruits. He knows what is in between the two
realms; the winds, birds, and whatever is in the air. All of
them are servants to Him, submitting and humbling themselves
before Him.

Lord of the east and the west, and all that is between them, if
you did but understand!

`He is the One Who made the east the place where the heavenly
bodies rise, and made the west the place where they set; this is
the system to which He has subjugated all the heavenly bodies,
stationary and moving. If what Fir`awn claims is true, that he
is your lord and your god, then let him turn things around so
that the heavenly bodies set in the east and rise in the west.'

meaning, `he wants to capture the people's hearts and win them
over by doing this, so that they will support him, and help him
and follow him, and he will defeat you in your own land and take
the land from you.

meaning, `delay him and his brother until you gather together
all the sorcerers from every city and region of your kingdom so
that they may confront him and produce something like he
produces, then you will defeat him and have the victory.'

So Fir`awn did as they suggested, which is what Allah decreed
would happen to them, so that all the people would gather in one
place and the signs and proof of Allah would be made manifest
before them all in one day.

Allah describes the actual encounter between Musa, peace be upon
him, and the Egyptians in Surah
Al-A`raf, Surah Ta Ha,
and in this Surah.

The Egyptians wanted to extinguish the Light of Allah with their
words, but Allah insisted that His Light should prevail even
though the disbelievers disliked that. This is the issue of
disbelief and faith; they never confront one another but faith
always prevails:

The sorcerers of Egypt were the most skilled in the art of
illusion, but when a huge group of them gathered from all
corners of the land, and the people came together on that day
whose exact numbers are known to Allah Alone, one of them said:

They did not say: `we will follow the truth, whether it rests
with the sorcerers or with Musa;' the people were followers of
the religion of their king.

فَلَمَّا جَاء السَّحَرَةُ ...

So, when the sorcerers arrived,

means, when they reached the court of Fir`awn, and a pavilion
had been erected for him. There he gathered his servants,
followers, administrators, and provincial leaders, and the
soldiers of his kingdom. The sorcerers stood before Fir`awn,
asking him to treat them well and bring them closer to him if
they prevailed in this matter which he had brought them together
for. They said:

Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic,
appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Musa conceived
fear in himself. We (Allah) said: "Fear not! Surely, you will
have the upper hand. And throw that which is in your right hand!
It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they
have made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will
never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may
attain.'' (20:66-69)

Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no
effect. So they were defeated there and returned disgraced.
And the sorcerers fell down prostrate. They said: "We believe in
the Lord of all that exists, the Lord of Musa and Harun.''
(7:118-122)

This was a very serious matter, furnishing decisive proof
leaving no room for any excuse. Fir`awn's supporters, who sought
and hoped that they would prevail over Musa, were themselves
defeated. At that moment they believed in Musa and prostrated to
Allah, the Lord of Al-`Alamin
Who sent Musa and Harun with the truth and an obvious miracle.
Fir`awn was defeated in a manner the likes of which the world
had never seen, but he remained arrogant and stubborn despite
the clear evidence, may the curse of Allah and the angels and
all of mankind be upon him. He resorted to arrogance and
stubbornness and propagating falsehood. He began to issue
threats against them, saying:

His threats against them resulted only in an increase in their
faith and submission to Allah, for the veil of disbelief had
been lifted from their hearts and the truth became clear to them
because they knew something that their people did not: that what
Musa had done could not have been done by any human being unless
Allah helped him, making it proof and an evidence of the truth
of what he had brought from his Lord.

meaning, `you should have asked my permission for what you did,
and you did not consult with me; if I had given you permission
you could have done it, and if I did not allow you, you should
not have done it, for I am the ruler and the one to be obeyed.'

... إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ ...

Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic!

This is stubborn talk, and anyone can see that it is nonsense,
for they had never met Musa before that day, so how could he
have been their chief who taught them how to do magic! No
rational person would say this.

means, `the return of us all is to Allah, may He be glorified,
and He will never allow the reward of anyone who has done good
to be lost. What you have done to us is not hidden from Him, and
He will reward us in full for that.'

After Musa stayed in Egypt for a long time, and the proof of
Allah was established against Fir`awn and his chiefs, yet they
were still arrogant and stubborn, then there was nothing left
for them but punishment and vengeance. So Allah commanded Musa,
peace be upon him, to take the Children of Israel out of Egypt
by night, and take them wherever he would be commanded. So Musa,
peace be upon him, did as he was commanded by his Lord, may He
be glorified, and he led them forth after they had borrowed an
abundance of jewelry from the people of Fir`awn.

As more than one of the scholars of Tafsir have said, they left
when the moon was rising, and Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on
him, said that the moon was eclipsed that night. And Allah knows
best.

Musa asked about the grave of Yusuf (Prophet Joseph), peace be
upon him, and an old woman from among the Children of Israel
showed him where it was, so he took the remains with them, and
it was said that they were among the things that were carried by
Musa himself, may peace be upon them both.

It was also said that Yusuf, peace be upon him, had left
instructions in his will that if the Children of Israel ever
left Egypt, they should take his remains with them.

The following morning, when there was nobody to be found in the
Israelite quarters, Fir`awn became angry and his anger
intensified since Allah had decreed that he was to be destroyed.
So he quickly sent his callers to all his cities, i.e., to
mobilize his troops and bring them together, and he called out
to them:

And We wished to do a favor to those who were weak in the land,
and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors. And to
establish them in the land, and We let Fir`awn and Haman and
their armies receive from them that which they feared. (28:5-6)

Fir`awn's
Pursuit and Expulsion of the Children of Israel, and how He and
His People were drowned

More than one of the scholars of Tafsir said that Fir`awn set
out with a huge group, a group containing the leaders and entire
government of Egypt at that time, i.e., the decision-makers and
influential figures, princes, ministers, nobles, leaders and
soldiers.

This was because Fir`awn and his people caught up with them on
the shores of the Red Sea, so the sea was ahead of them and
Fir`awn and his troops were behind them. Hence they said:
إِنَّا
لَمُدْرَكُونَ (We are sure to be overtaken).

meaning, `nothing of what you fear will happen to you, for Allah
is the One Who commanded me to bring you here, and He does not
go back on His promise.'

إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ

verily with me is my Lord. He will guide me

Harun, peace be upon him, was in the front, with Yusha` bin Nun
and a believer from the family of Fir`awn, and Musa, peace be
upon him, was in the rear.

More than one of the scholars of Tafsir said that they stood
there not knowing what to do, and Yusha` bin Nun or the believer
from the family of Fir`awn said to Musa, peace be upon him, "O
Prophet of Allah, is it here that your Lord commanded you to
bring us!''

He said: "Yes.''

Then Fir`awn and his troops drew near and were very close
indeed. At that point Allah commanded his Prophet Musa, peace be
upon him, to strike the sea with his staff, so he struck it, and
it parted, by the will of Allah.

meaning: `We saved Musa and the Children of Israel and whoever
followed their religion, and none of them were destroyed, but
Fir`awn and his troops were drowned and not one of them remained
alive, but was destroyed.'

Here Allah tells us about His servant, Messenger and Close
Friend, Ibrahim, upon him be peace, the leader of the pure
monotheists.

Allah commanded His Messenger Muhammad to recite this story to
his Ummah so that they could
follow this example of sincerity towards Allah, putting one's
trust in Him, worshipping Him Alone with no partner or
associate, and renouncing Shirk
and its people.

Allah granted guidance to Ibrahim before, i.e., from a very
early age he had denounced his people's practice of worshipping
idols with Allah, may He be exalted.

"I call Allah to witness and bear you witness that I am free
from that which you ascribe as partners in worship. So plot
against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust
in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature
but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the
straight path. (11:54-56)

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim
and those with him, when they said to their people:

"Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides
Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us
and you, hostility and hatred forever until you believe in Allah
alone,'' -- (60:4)

He is my Creator Who provides for me from that which He has made
available in the heavens and on earth.

He drives the clouds and causes water to fall with which He
revives the earth and brings forth its fruits as provision for
mankind. He sends down the water fresh and sweet so that many of
those whom He has created, animals and men alike, may drink from
it.

And we know not whether evil is intended for those on earth, or
whether their Lord intends for them a right path. (72:10)

Similarly, Ibrahim said:
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ
(And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me). meaning, `when I
fall sick, no one is able to heal me but Him, Who heals me with
the means that may lead to recovery'.

And Ibrahim's invoking (of Allah) for his father's forgiveness
was only because of a promise he ﴿Ibrahim﴾ had made to him (his
father). But when it became clear to him ﴿Ibrahim﴾ that he (his
father) is an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him.
Verily, Ibrahim was Awwah and forbearing. (9:114)

Allah stopped Ibrahim from asking for forgiveness for his
father, as He says:

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim
and those with him, when they said to their people:

"Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides
Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us
and you, hostility and hatred forever until you believe in Allah
alone,'' -- except the saying of Ibrahim to his father: "Verily,
I will ask forgiveness for you, but I have no power to do
anything for you before Allah.'' (60:4)

meaning, `the gods and idols whom you used to worship instead of
Allah cannot help you today, and they cannot even protect
themselves. You and they are fuel for Hell today, which you will
surely enter.'

(Alas!) If we only had a chance to return, we shall truly be
among the believers!

They will wish that they could come back to this world so that
they could do deeds of obedience to their Lord -- as they claim
-- but Allah knows that if they were to come back to this world,
they would only go back to doing forbidden things, and He knows
that they are liars.

Allah tells us in Surah Sad
about how the people of Hell will argue with one another, as He
says:

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَحَقٌّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهْلِ النَّارِ

Verily, that is the very truth -- the mutual dispute of the
people of the Fire! (38:64)

meaning, in the dispute of Ibrahim with his people and his proof
of Tawhid there is a sign,
i.e., clear evidence that there is no God but Allah.
وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
yet most of them are not believers.

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Nuh, peace
be upon him, who was the first Messenger sent by Allah to the
people of earth after they started to worship idols.

Allah sent him to forbid that and to warn people of the
consequences of idol worship. But his people belied him and
continued their evil practice of worshipping idols besides
Allah. Allah revealed that their disbelieving in him was akin to
disbelieving in all the Messengers,

means, `I am the Messenger of Allah to you, faithfully
fulfilling the mission with which Allah has sent me. I convey
the Messages of my Lord to you, and I do not add anything to
them or take anything away from them.'

meaning, `what does it have to do with me if they follow me! No
matter what they used to do before, I do not have to check on
them and examine their background; all I have to do is accept it
if they believe in me; whatever is in their hearts is for Allah
to know.'

Nuh stayed among his people for a long time, calling them to
Allah night and day, in secret and openly. The more he repeated
his call to them, the more determined were they to cling to
their extreme disbelief and resist his call. In the end, they
said:

No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the
Lord of all that exists.''

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger
Hud, when he called his
people `Ad. His people used
to live in the Ahqaf, curved
sand-hills near Hadramawt, on the borders of Yemen. They lived
after the time of Nuh, as Allah says in Surah
Al-A`raf:

And remember that He made you successors after the people of Nuh
and increased you amply in stature. (7:69)

This refers to the fact that they were physically strong and
well-built, and very violent, and very tall; they had also been
given a great deal of provisions, wealth, gardens, rivers, sons,
crops and fruits. Yet despite all of that, they worshipped
others besides Allah. So Allah sent
Hud, one of their own, as a Messenger bringing them good
news and delivering warnings. He called them to worship Allah
alone, and he warned them of Allah's wrath and punishment if
they were to go against him and treating him harshly.

The scholars of Tafsir differed over the meaning of the word
Ri`. In brief, they said
that it refers to an elevated location at a well-known
crossroads, where they would build a huge, dazzling, sturdy
structure, this is why he said:

أَتَبْنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ آيَةً
(Do you build on every Ri`
an Ayah) i.e., a well-known
landmark,

تَعْبَثُونَ
(for your amusement), meaning, `you are only doing that for the
purpose of frivolity, not because you need it, but for fun and
to show off your strength.'

So their Prophet, peace be upon him, denounced them for doing
that, because it was a waste of time and exhausted people's
bodies for no purpose, and kept them busy with something that
was of no benefit in this world or the next.

meaning, they continued to disbelieve and stubbornly oppose
Allah's Prophet Hud, so
Allah destroyed them.

The means of their destruction has been described in more than
one place in the Qur'an:

Allah sent against them a strong and furious wind, i.e., a
fiercely blowing wind that was intensely cold. Thus the means of
their destruction was suited to their nature, for they were the
strongest and fiercest of people, so Allah overpowered them with
something that was even stronger and fiercer than them, as Allah
says:

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
-
إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ

Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with `Ad of Iram
Possessors of the pillars. (89:6-7)

This refers to the former `Ad,
as Allah says:

وَأَنَّهُ أَهْلَكَ عَاداً الاٍّولَى

And that it is He Who destroyed the former `Ad. (53:50)

They were descendents of Iram bin Sam bin Nuh,

ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ
(Possessors of the pillars), They used to live among pillars.

Those who claim that Iram was a city take this idea from Israeli
narrations, from the words of Ka`b and Wahb, but there is no
real basis for that.

Allah says:

الَّتِى لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى الْبِلَـدِ

The like of which were not created in the land. (89:8)

meaning, nothing like this tribe was created in terms of might,
power and tyranny.

If what was meant was a city, it would have said, "The like of
which was not built in the land.''

As for `Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and
they said: "Who is mightier than us in strength!''See they not
that Allah Who created them was mightier in strength than them.
And they used to deny Our Ayat! (41:15)

And Allah says:

وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ

سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ
حُسُومًا

And as for `Ad, they were destroyed by a wind, Sarsar `Atiyah!
Which Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days
Husum, (in succession). (69:6-7)

so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if
they were hollow trunks of date palms! (69:7)

means, they were left as headless bodies, because the wind would
come and carry one of them, then drop him on his head, so that
his brains were spilled out, his head was broken and he was
thrown aside, as if they were uprooted stems of date-palms. They
used to build fortresses in the mountains and caves, and they
dug ditches half as deep as a man is tall, but that did not help
them against the command of Allah at all.

إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لاَ يُؤَخَّرُ

Verily, the term given by Allah, when it comes, cannot be
delayed. (71:4)

No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the
Lord of Al-`Alamin.''

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Salih, whom
He sent to his people Thamud.
They were Arabs living in the city of Al-Hijr -- which is
between Wadi Al-Qura and Greater Syria. Their location is well
known.

In our explanation of Surah
Al-A`raf, we mentioned the
Hadiths which tell how the Messenger of Allah passed by
their dwelling place when he wanted to launch a raid on Syria.
He went as far as Tabuk, then he went back to Al-Madinah to
prepare himself for the campaign. Thamud came after `Ad and
before Ibrahim, peace be upon him. Their Prophet Salih called
them to Allah, to worship Him alone with no partner or
associate, and to obey whatever commands were conveyed to them,
but they refused, rejecting him and opposing him. He told them
that he did not seek any reward from them for his call to them,
but that he would seek the reward for that with Allah. Then he
reminded them of the blessings of Allah.

They enjoyed Salih preached to them, warning them that the
punishment of Allah could overtake them and reminding them of
the blessings that Allah had bestowed upon them, by giving them
ample provision and making them safe from all kinds of dangers,
giving them gardens and flowing springs, and bringing forth for
them crops and fruits.

According to another report from him: "They were greedy and
extravagant.''

This was the view of Mujahid and another group.

There is no contradiction between the two views, because they
built the houses which they carved in the mountains as a form of
extravagant play, with no need for them as dwelling places. They
were highly skilled in the arts of masonry and stone-carving, as
is well known to anyone who has seen their structures.

Pay attention to that which could benefit you in this world and
the Hereafter; worshipping your Lord Who created you, who
granted you provisions so that you could worship Him alone and
glorify Him morning and evening.

"Is it that the Reminder is sent to him alone from among us!
Nay, he is an insolent liar!''

Tomorrow they will come to know who is the liar, the insolent
one! (54:26-27)

... فَأْتِ بِآيَةٍ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ
﴿١٥٤﴾

Then bring us a sign if you are of the truthful.

Then they asked him for a sign to prove that what he brought to
them from their Lord was the truth. A crowd of them gathered and
demanded that he immediately bring forth from the rock a
she-camel that was ten months pregnant, and they pointed to a
certain rock in their midst.

Allah's Prophet Salih made them promise that if he responded to
their request, they would believe in him and follow him. So they
agreed to that.

The Prophet of Allah Salih, peace be upon him, stood and prayed,
then he prayed to Allah to grant them their request. Then the
rock to which they had pointed split open, revealing a she-camel
that was ten months pregnant, exactly as they had requested.

And touch her not with harm, lest the torment of a Great Day
should seize you.

He warned them of the punishment of Allah if they should do her
any harm.

The she-camel stayed among them for a while, drinking the water,
eating leaves and grazing, and they benefited from her milk
which they took in sufficient quantities for every one to drink
his fill. After this had gone on for a long time, and the time
for their destruction drew near, they conspired to kill her:

Their land was shaken by a strong earthquake, and there came to
them an overwhelming Sayhah
(shout) which took their hearts from their places. They were
overtaken by events which they were not expecting, so they were
left (dead), lying prostrate in their homes.

No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the
Lord of all that exits.''

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger
Lut, peace be upon him.

He was Lut bin Haran bin Azar, the nephew of Ibrahim Al-Khalil,
upon him be peace. Allah sent him to a mighty nation during the
lifetime of Ibrahim, peace be upon them both. They lived in
Sadum (Sodom) and its environs, where Allah destroyed them and
turned the area into a putrid, stinking lake, which is
well-known in the land of Al-Ghur (the Jordan Valley), bordering
the mountains of Jerusalem, between the mountains and the land
of Al-Karak and Ash-Shawbak.

He called them to Allah, to worship Him alone with no partner or
associate, and to obey the Messenger whom Allah sent to them.

He forbade from disobeying Allah and committing the sin that
they had invented which was unknown on earth before their time;
intercourse with males instead of with females.

And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your wives!
Nay, you are a trespassing people!''

The Prophet of Allah forbade them from committing evil deeds and
intercourse with males, and he taught them that they should have
intercourse with their wives whom Allah had created for them.
Their response was only to say:

This was his wife, who was a bad old woman. She stayed behind
and was destroyed with whoever else was left.

This is similar to what Allah
says about them in Surah Al-A`raf
and Surah Hud, and in Surah
Al-Hijr, where Allah
commanded him to take his family at night, except for his wife,
and not to turn around when they heard the
Sayhah as it came upon his
people. So they patiently obeyed the command of Allah and
persevered, and Allah sent upon the people a punishment which
struck them all, and rained upon them stones of baked clay,
piled up.

No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the
Lord of Al-`Alamin.''

The companions of Al-Aykah
were the people of Madyan, according to the most correct view.

The Prophet of Allah Shu`ayb was one of them, but it does not
say here, their brother Shu`ayb, because they called themselves
by a name denoting their deification of
Al-Aykah, which was a tree
which they used to worship; it was said that it was a group of
trees which were tangled, like trees in a thicket. For this
reason, when Allah said that the companions of
Al-Aykah denied the
Messengers, He did not say, "When their brother Shu`ayb said to
them.'' Rather, He said:
إِذْ قَالَ
لَهُمْ شُعَيْبٌ
When Shu`ayb said to them,

He is not described as belonging to them because of the meaning
that was inherent in the name given to them even though he was
their brother by blood.

Some people did not notice this point, so they thought that the
dwellers of Al-Aykah were
different from the people of Madyan, and claimed that Shu`ayb
was sent to two nations; some said that he was sent to three.

أَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ
(The companions of Al-Aykah)
were the people of Shu`ayb.

This was the view of Ishaq bin Bishr.

Someone besides Juwaybir said, "The dwellers of
Al-Aykah and the people of
Madyan are one and the same.''

And Allah knows best.

Although there is another opinion that they were different
nations with two identities, the correct view is that they were
one nation, but they are described differently in different
places.

Shu`ayb preached to them and commanded them to be fair in their
weights and measures, the same as is mentioned in the story of
Madyan, which also indicates that they were the same nation.

meaning, `when you give to people, give them full measure, and
do not cause loss to them by giving them short measure, while
taking full measure when you are the ones who are taking. Give
as you take, and take as you give.'

But they denied him, so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized
them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

This is what they asked for, when they asked for a part of the
heaven to fall upon them. Allah made their punishment in the
form of intense heat which overwhelmed them for seven days, and
nothing could protect them from it.

Then He sent a cloud to shade them, so they ran towards it to
seek its shade from the heat. When all of them had gathered
underneath it, Allah sent sparks of fire and flames and intense
heat upon them, and caused the earth to convulse beneath them,
and He sent against them a mighty
Sayhah which destroyed their souls.

Allah says:

... إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

...Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Allah has mentioned how they were destroyed in three places in
the Qur'an, in each of which it is described in a manner which
fits the context.

In Surah Al-A`raf He says
that: the earthquake seized them, and they lay (dead), prostrate
in their homes. This was because they said:

so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them. Indeed that was
the torment of a Great Day.

Muhammad bin Jarir narrated from Yazid Al-Bahili: "I asked Ibn
Abbas about this Ayah:
فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ
(so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them). He
said:

`Allah sent upon them thunder and intense heat, and it terrified
them (so they entered their houses and it pursued them to the
innermost parts of their houses and terrified them further), and
they ran fleeing from their houses into the fields. Then Allah
sent upon them clouds which shaded them from the sun, and they
found it cool and pleasant, so they called out to one another
until they had all gathered beneath the cloud, then Allah sent
fire upon them.'

Ibn Abbas said,

`That was the torment of the Day of Shadow, indeed that was the
torment of a Great Day.'''

refers to the Qur'an, which at the beginning of the Surah was
described as
وَمَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّنَ الرَّحْمَنِ مُحْدَثٍ
(and never comes there unto them a Reminder as a recent
revelation from the Most Gracious...) (26:5)

meaning, `this Qur'an which We have revealed to you, We have
revealed in perfect and eloquent Arabic, so that it may be quite
clear, leaving no room for excuses and establishing clear proof,
showing the straight path.'

And (remember) when `Isa, son of Maryam, said: "O Children of
Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the
Tawrah before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come
after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. (61:6)

Zubur
here refers to Books; Zubur
is the plural of Az-Zabur,
which is also the name used to refer to the Book given to Dawud.

Is it not a sign to them that the learned scholars of the
Children of Israel knew it!

meaning, is it not sufficient witness to the truth for them that
the scholars of the Children of Israel found this Qur'an
mentioned in the Scriptures which they study! The meaning is:

the fair-minded among them admitted that the attributes of
Muhammad and his mission and his
Ummah were mentioned in their Books, as was stated by
those among them who believed, such as Abdullah bin Salam,
Salman Al-Farisi and others who met the Prophet.

Allah said:

الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِىَّ الأُمِّىَّ

Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read
nor write ... (7:157)

The Intense
Disbelief of Quraysh

Then Allah tells us how intense the disbelief of Quraysh was,
and how stubbornly they resisted the Qur'an. If this Book with
all its eloquence had been revealed to a non-Arab who did not
know one word of Arabic, they still would not have believed in
him.

And warn mankind of the Day when the torment will come unto
them; then the wrongdoers will say: "Our Lord! Respite us for a
little while, we will answer Your call and follow the
Messengers!'' (It will be said:) "Had you not sworn aforetime
that you would not leave (the world for the Hereafter).'' (14:
44)

When every sinner and evildoer sees his punishment, he will feel
intense regret. Such was the case of Fir`awn, when Musa prayed
against him:

Our Lord! You have indeed bestowed on Fir`awn and his chiefs
splendor and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord! That
they may lead men astray from Your path. Our Lord! Destroy their
wealth, and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe
until they see the painful torment.'

Allah said: "Verily, the invocation of you both is accepted.
(10:88-89)

This supplication had an effect on Fir`awn: he did not believe
until he saw the painful torment:

till when drowning overtook him, he (Fir`awn) said: "I believe
that none has the right to be worshipped but He in Whom the
Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims.'' Now
(you believe) while you refused to believe before and you were
one of the mischief-makers. (10:90-91)

The disbelievers will be brought and once dipped into the Fire,
then it will be said to him:

"Did you ever see anything good! Did you ever see anything
good!''

He will say, "No, O Lord!''

Then the most miserable person who ever lived on earth will be
brought, and he will be put in Paradise for a brief spell, then
it will be said to him, "Did you ever see anything bad!"

He will say, "No, O Lord.''

meaning: as if nothing ever happened.

Then Allah tells us of His justice towards His creation, in that
He does not destroy any nation until after He has left them with
no excuse, by warning them, sending Messengers to them and
establishing proof against them.